


what all wise men fear

by KeeperofSeeds



Series: the ashes underneath [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Blanket Permission, Canon-Typical Violence, Episode Related, Force Choking (Star Wars), Gen, Humiliation, Mental Instability, Not Beta Read, Revenge, Sith Obi-Wan Kenobi, Slavery, The Dark Side of the Force, Zygerrian Arc AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:41:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22564174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeeperofSeeds/pseuds/KeeperofSeeds
Summary: The rescue efforts during the Zygerrian slave arc take longer than expected. Stuck together and pushed to extremes, Rex and Obi-Wan struggle to keep their hopes up. Until one day, when a slaver pushes too far. Obi-Wan Falls.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & CT-7567 | Rex
Series: the ashes underneath [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1623535
Comments: 19
Kudos: 410





	what all wise men fear

This becomes the new normal: Instead of the light snores and murmured breaths of his brothers surrounding him, Rex hears the anxious shuffles of Togruta people stolen from their world. The quiet muffling of tears and the unnatural silence of those too beaten down to protest. Even General Kenobi's presence can't mitigate the feeling of isolation he feels in this sea of strangers. 

His blaster calluses are being worn over, his hands left sore and sometimes bloody by the constant shoveling and grunt work. His stubble grown in, black smears of dirt blending into the dark hair of his jaw.

He was used to following orders. He was made to do so. But not like this. He was made to fight, to support the Jedi and the Republic, not to languish in a pit doing the bidding of slaver scum.

He's never felt so stuck before, and he can tell the General feels it too, but all he can offer is the touch of his hand against the General's slumped shoulder. A silent moment of comfort and support as they stand together in the dark and smoke.

The seemingly endless time they'd been stuck here in this festering pit were beginning to wear even a Jedi's patience thin. To be stuck watching such cruelty day after day after day was its own form of torture. 

Rex can shoulder this burden. He's seen the terrible things that come with War. He can deal with this indignity. He knows how to bottle up his feelings and focus on the next cycle and the next, putting off thinking too hard until the job is done. The Jedi though, they were never prepared to stand by like this. Or at least, not men like General Kenobi. For all his stoicism, Rex knows the man hides a soft heart within. A need to help all creatures.

He can deal with the physical work, the humiliation…but he does not want to stand by and watch his General's spirit be broken.

What can one clone do against these odds though?

Rex watches, and he waits, bracing himself. Either an opportunity will come…or their rescue will. Until then he'll keep his head down.

Surely General Skywalker and Commander Tano would find a way to rescue them soon. Surely.

* * *

Rex doesn't know how long he's been stuck in this pit. He can count how many times he's seen General Kenobi stand to lash out before melting back into reluctant submission, how many looks they've shared in their forced silence, or how many times he's been shocked by those damned collars, but he can't catch a glimpse of the world outside. Or even a cheap chrono on any of the slaver scum that patrol the pit. He can count the number of plates of meager rations thrown into the large cell and the number of times they've been shuffled into sleeping quarters, but he doesn't know if it matches up with the planet's day cycle or if they're being worked through the night. The only light comes from the glow of the machinery around them.

As time begins to blurs together, and he tries not to think of the Commander, or General Skywalker, and of all the things that might be keeping him away. It's too easy, laying in the dark bunks, for his mind to come up with a whole host worth of horrors.

He almost starts to miss the normal nightmares he'd shared with his brothers.

* * *

More time passes.

The General's former introversion was beginning to transform. Rex could see the man aching to lash out. He'd already begin acting out in small ways, saving his small portion of rations and sneaking it to others, small instances of Force healing done in the barracks. Quickly healing minor cuts and sores from necks rubbed raw by the collars or bleeding hands of a peaceful people unused to hard labor.

He waits until the shift change and edges closer to General Kenobi, careful to keep his head down and voice low.

"Have you…heard anything from General Skywalker?" Rex waves on hand vaguely at his head. He isn't sure how all that Force stuff works even after General Skywalker had once tried to explain the different types of Jedi bonds.

General Kenobi's eyes dart around, checking for overseers before answering in a low whisper.

"No. All I can tell is that Anakin is unharmed. I've only caught flashes of frustration, nothing more." He seems to deflate even farther. "I fear we are too far away."

"I'm sure General Skywalker and Commander Tano are doing their best, sir." Rex replies, but the words are a hollow comfort that neither of them really believe.

They return to work. Rex feels hope slipping out of his fingers like a handful of sand.

* * *

Rex doesn't remember what actual food tastes like, or even the previously tolerated ration bars, nor does he remember the feel of his bunk or the touch of a razor… but he thinks he will remember the moment the General snapped for the rest of his life.

That morning the group of Zygerrians roaming the mine was taking particular pleasure in goading the Jedi Master, whipping a young Togrutan male and glancing sideways after every lash, as if daring Obi Wan to step up and protest the treatment. Rex could see the General flinch at each snap of the elctro-whip, even as he continue to shovel the ore into the nearest cart, eyes firmly down.

The Torgruta's knees finally gave out and he collapsed, only barely reaching out his hands to catch himself from falling face first into the dirt. Rex reached out a hand to the General, unwilling to speak and risk even more punishment for the boy, but hoping to lend support all the same.

Obi-Wan glanced up and gave an almost imperceptible tilt of his head, acknowledging the gesture. Rex almost hoped they would make it through another cycle without unnecessary deaths when the leader of the group called out, "You can stop this Jedi."

Obi-Wan tensed again, but did not look over at the speaker.

"Come." The slaver gestured with his whip. "Come and beg me for his life Jedi. Get down on your knees and beg me to spare this slave."

For a moment Rex though the General might ignore the man. They both knew how unlikely it was for the slaver to be speaking truthfully. But Rex could see Obi Wan take a slow breath in before lifting his head and clenching his jaw with determination. 

Of course the General couldn’t just stand by. Stubborn man.

General Kenobi dropped the shovel and turned to face the gathered slavers. Three large steps forward led him near the collapsed Togrutan. Slowly, he knelt before the speaker and bent forward at the waist before speaking.

"Please…Master. I beg you, I beseech you to…to spare the life of this slave."

Rex clenched his hand tighter around his shovel and risked pausing to glance towards the disgusting spectacle. The General's voice was scratchy and low, the constant plumes of smoke and use of the shock collar ruining the strength Rex was used to hearing in it across the battlefield.

The Kadovarian looked down at Obi-Wan with obvious pleasure before stepping forward and grabbing a handful of the lank copper hair. Obi-Wan grunted in surprised as he was yanked upright to look into the slaver's eye's as the man leaned close to articulate one small word.

"No."

And before Obi-Wan could react with more than a widening of eyes another of the group stepped forward and snapped the slave's neck.

The body dropped to the floor with a dull thud, barely audible over the machines and clanks of shovels.

"How could you- !" Obi-Wan began, reaching up and grabbing at the slaver's tunic but the man shoved the electro-prod under Obi-Wan's chin and screams cut off the rest of his outraged words.

"You are nothing Jedi!" the slaver yelled as Obi-Wan convulsed, back arched before him. "A slave such as yourself is only useful for as long as I say you are. Your words hold no power here. Your purpose is to work and to obey my every wish. " He paused with obvious relish, "You will learn to do this, or you will die. Die, surrounded by these people who you cannot protect. Die, knowing you were helpless. That you are NOTHING."

Obi-Wan gasped as the shocks relented, falling back to his knees, his chest heaving. Rex suddenly felt the hairs on his neck raise. The same feeling he'd get in battle when a Jedi performed some great act with the Force. Surely the General wouldn't though…

Another of the slavers step forward and spat upon Obi Wan, the dark glob of spit oozing down his jaw. 

This time when the electro-rod moved towards Obi Wan he reached up and caught it, sparks dancing along his arm and through the collar. With gritted teeth he rasped out, "you're…wrong."

Then, much to Rex's shock, Obi Wan thrust out his free hand and lightning erupted from his outstretched fingers, arcing over the slaver's body. The slaver collapsed, still twitching and faintly smoking.

In the sudden shocked silence of the mine Rex stared at Obi Wan, who gaped at his still outstretched hand and looked almost as shocked as the slavers. It was as if he'd channeled the rod's current through him and back at their captors.

Rex however, wasn't about to let this kind of opportunity go to waste and moved quickly forward, hefting his shovel to take down another of the group while they stood slack-jawed.

"I'm right behind you General"

A swing knocked out one and Rex jumps over the falling body to punch another in its furred face. This one doesn't go down and Rex feels his lip split with the force of the creature's return punch and stumbles backwards. The Zygerrian reaches down and unfurls the whip at his belt. He raises it back and Rex looks to his side to find a cart blocking his escape. He flinches in anticipation of the electric shock but it doesn't come. Instead he looks up to see the slaver being held aloft, feet kicking as he gasps, his hands scrambling uselessly at his throat. It takes Rex a few terrible, slow seconds to turn and make the connection. Obi-Wan is standing amid a group of fallen bodies, hand outstretched, and a terrible look of rage upon his face. Rex has never seen him like this before. Even in the midst of battle Jedi didn't get angry. Not like brothers did. It seemed wrong, even though with their treatment here, he certainly had every right to be.

Rex pushed himself up off the cart and took a step closer.

"General?" he held out a hand, not sure if the man would recognize him in his anger.

Obi-Wan gasped and the slaver dropped to the floor coughing and retching.

Obi Wan is back staring down at his hands, as if they acted separately from their owner. Rex can feel the awed and confused stares of the Togrutans around him and knows they only have so long before more slavers come investigate the noise or see why their fellows haven't returned.

"We should find Keeper Agruss, General." he suggests, even though it feels wrong to suggest a course of action to a General. He knows General Skywalker played things looser than other Jedi and he usually knew better than to offer strategic advice uncalled for, but they really needed to get moving and something was obviously off with the General.

Maybe they'd finally found his breaking point.

Rex hoped not, but even the strongest of man could reach their limit in a place like this. 

"Are you…alright, sir?" he gently asks. It's not the smartest question considering where they are and what just happened, but he isn't sure how exactly to phrase his concern. How to inquire about these new powers. Or how to evaluate the General's mindset.

Obi-Wan straightens his shoulders and drops his hands. "Yes." he voice is thick but whether with emotion or from the aftereffects of being shocked Rex can't tell and is not about to ask.

Obi Wan clears his throat and tries again. "Yes. I'm…fine. We need to keep moving. They came from that way" as he points at a set of doors to their left. "But first..." Obi Wan pauses and raises his hands again, this time to his own neck. The collar sparks and breaks apart. Rex holds his breath as the General turns towards him eyes closed in concentration. He feels the collar break and flings it away before the General can. It's a small thing, but being free of the collar is a weight off his shoulders.

Another wave of the General's hand sends the gasping slaver flying over the nearest cart into the haze of hot steam, his yell ending in a sudden crunch of bones.

Together then, they turn towards the large set of doors, ready to fight their way to the main office.

* * *

They make their way down the corridors, slow and steady, dispatching any Zygarrians they come across. General Kenobi steps seem to grow firmer as they go, his posture straightening. The image of him reaching out a hand, the same hand Rex has watched heal and comfort, now snapping necks from across the room, isn't one that will soon leave him. He's seen the General in battle before, but dismembering droids with a lightsaber is different than seeing the man kill with only a gesture of his hand.

Rex keeps a slower pace behind the General, watching their backs and picking off and stragglers that try to slip past the General or attempt to sneak off for more help. He also takes time to reach out to any Togrutas they pass, helping the ones who can stand up and quickly pointing them back through the carnage to relative safety. Many flinch as he reaches out and he lets them be. Soon they'll take control of the base and that will help more than any rushed words from a random trooper who they only know as a fellow captive.

His hands itch for his blasters but their steady grip on the bloodied shovel doesn't waver. As if hearing his thoughts Obi-Wan grabs a shock stick from a collapsed guard and tosses it to Rex without looking at him.

"We're almost there." he rasps out.

* * *

They enter the room and immediately Obi-Wan reaches out with the Force are two slavers are throw together, knocking them out. Rex rushes further into the room and into battle. The shock stick is an unfamiliar weapon, but Rex adapts, spinning and throwing kicks, working his way in closer. Close enough to where he can turn and use the armored beings weight to throw him to the ground. 

The General is facing the Keeper, his lightsaber returned to him, but the Zygerrian doesn't seem intimidated. 

"Come now, Master Kenobi, I know a Jedi won't kill an unarmed man."

"Rex, lock the doors." Obi-Wan commands, not moving from his position. 

"This solves nothing," Keeper Argus says. "Reinforcements will be dispatched and they will discover where you are hiding."

Obi-Wan lowers his lightsaber, but doesn't extinguish it. "Not if you give me the codes to shut down the factory."

Argus scoffs. "You are more of a fool than I thought Jedi! That your arrogance survives is astounding!"

"I was not asking," Obi-Wan replies, and lifts his empty hand towards the Keeper. Rex expects more lightning perhaps, but nothing happens for a moment. Then Rex feels a shift in the air. His eyes dart back and forth between the General and the Keeper. Obi-Wan's eyes are closed and his whole body is tense. The Keeper is frowning, beginning to sweat. 

"You will tell me the codes to shut down this facility," Obi-Wan says, and his voice has a strange intonation that Rex has never heard before. 

The Keeper's hands are now gripping his chair handles tightly, and his furred head shifts and twitches, as if attempting to keep off some flying bug. 

"No more being will die here by your hand. You will tell me the codes." Obi-Wan intones again, and the Keeper breaks, voicing a strangled cry before collapsing limp back into his chair.

Rex stares, eyes wide. He didn't know the Jedi had such powers. To take a man's thoughts directly from his head. It seems to have taken a lot out of the General as well. He's leaning forward, hands on his knees, breathing heavily. 

"General?" Rex questions.

"I have them, Rex."

"Those codes are nothing!" A breathless voice from Keeper Arguss, pulling himself back into sorts on his hover chair. "Your people will not come in time. They will find nothing but your dead bodies!" He pulls out a whip from a compartment on the chair and lunges forward. Obi-Wan dodges backwards and Rex reacts, throwing his shock stick across the room to impale the Keeper. The slaver falls at Obi-Wan's feet and is quickly stepped over as he rushes to the nearest computer counsel. Rex moves forward to confirm the Keeper's death first, then turns to the General. 

Obi-Wan is already bent over the counsel fingers flying over the keys, working to shut down machinery first, then to send a signal out and make contact with the fleet. The green light from screen mix with the red emergency lights and leaves eerie shadows across the General's face. His face looks sunken in and eyes hooded in a way that's extreme even with the limited rations. Rex silently vows to make sure General Kenobi stays put in medical for at least three night cycles once they return. 

"I've put out an general distress signal on the Fleet frequency but anything else will take more time." Obi Wan says. And there are still dozens of Zygerrians scattered throughout this base that will need dealing with as well as disarming any hidden defense mechanisms, Rex thinks. They’ve certainly got enough to do while they wait. 

Rex nods his understanding of the situation while scanning the room for anything useful they might take with them. "Even with most of the power down I don't trust these guys farther than I can throw them. Or even as far as you can throw them sir." A chuckle tinged with the beginnings of hysteria slips through before he clamps back down on the feeling. "I've never seen you do anything like that before General. Threw me for a bit of a loop." He turns back to General Kenobi a joke about the troopers needing to step up their game quickly forgotten as he catches his first glimpse of the General's face head on since this improvised break out began.

Obi-Wan's eyes have gone a sickly yellow and the furrow between his brows is more pronounced than usual. In the dim emergency light, they almost glow.

Rex can't stop his sharp intake of breath.

Between one blink and the next, the glow fades away. As is it was never there. But the General averts his eyes when Rex takes a step closer. "General, are you…"

"I'm fine." he says quickly. "It's nothing you need be concerned about Rex."

"Pardon me sir, but your safety is my concern. If something's wrong…I'm not Kix but I'm not a bad hand at field medicine and-"

Obi-Wan holds up a hand, stopping him. "I promise Rex, it's nothing you can fix. Trust me."

"We've been holed up here together for a long while, General. Of course I trust you."

"Good." Obi-Wan replied. "Now, help me get this console back up and connected to the wider communications network."

* * *

They work diligently, Rex stripping wires and handing them back to the General, slowly reconnecting them and then working through the layers of security as they finally reboot the charred set up.

The screen begins to blink and Rex's triumphant exclamation is quickly stifled as the being contacting the station shimmers into existence on the screen.

"Count Dooku."

His cool demeanor looks momentarily shaken by the sight of a clone answering the call but he looks down his nose and begins a monologue.

"So, I see things have progressed faster than I expected. That is impressive, even for the infamous Negotiator."

Rex didn't react but the Count continued talking past him, seeking out a reaction from Obi-Wan.

"Taking hints from Skywalker now?" he taunted. "Letting your emotions get the better of you? You may continue the grand tradition of our legacy after all."

The smirk on his face dimmed when Obi-Wan stepped into view of the communicator. His yellow eyes were back, and clearly visible, apparently even with the hazy blue tint of the comms.

"Don't you dare bring legacy into this Dooku." He spit out, his words low and harsh. It was almost more unnerving than if he'd been yelling Rex thought as he stepped back and watched the exchange.

"For far too long you've pushed and prodded at me Count. Now, I'm no longer afraid to push back. We've broken your hold here. Help is on the way. And then…" he paused stepping closer to the projected image of the Count, bruised and dirty, but still looking defiantly up at the larger projection, "Then? I'm coming for you. And unlike you, I now have no problem with getting my own hands dirty."

Obi-Wan gestured at Rex and he reached over to cut off the signal before Dooku could muster up a response.

* * *

Rex is silent in the aftermath. He focuses on the comms and working to tear down security measures and force the system to broadcast more directly to the fleet. It takes a few, long minutes, but finally he breaks through and inputs the fleets secure communication codes and sends out the signal marking their location. 

"Done, General." He announces, and Obi-Wan nods from his own screen where he's accessing the base's security measures and shutting down its outer defense network to allow their reinforcements clear entry. He pauses to rub a hand over his forehead and it leaves behind a smear of dirt. 

"General," Rex suggests gently, "I can take over there for a minute while you rest your eyes." 

He isn't expected the General to take him up on it, but Obi-Wan sighs deeply and then nods. 

"I just need a moment Rex." 

He puts his back to a wall and leans forward to rest his head on his bent knees. Rex turns back to the screen to keep looking over the security measures. He thinks they can lock out the Zygerrians from certain areas, help keep the Torgruta people safer until backup arrives. He works quickly, but carefully, and the familiar sounds of the General’s breathing are a comforting sound. They’re almost safe. 

* * *

They don't have to wait long, now that they are broadcasting their location, and the system soon registers ships entering the atmosphere. 

Obi-Wan opens his eyes before Rex can turn to share the news. 

"I'll start making my way out to the landing bay," the General says. "Rex, you stay here and do what you can to direct the rescue efforts."

"But Sir! We should stick together."

"Captain. I am more than capable of looking after myself. Even now."

"I meant no disrespect, Sir." Rex replies, and the General gives him a thin lipped smile in return. 

"I know, Captain." He steps forward and raise his hand to rest it on Rex's shoulder, a mirror of the gesture of comfort he'd been accepting all this time, before dropping it back to his side. "Take care, and if anyone asks for details of our escape, tell them the truth," he says.

Rex doesn't know what he means. Did the General think he would have lied about their escape? Was this about his new powers? Were they not permitted by the Jedi for some reason? Surely they'd understand, he thought. The General was just using all the resources he'd had available to free them. Rex's mind was spinning and all he could manage in response was a nod, followed by a rusty salute. Obi-Wan nodded in response, then strode away, out of the control room.

* * *

Rex stayed glued to the screen in the control room as the Jedi arrived, General Plo Koon leading the charge, along with his brothers. More teams following behind them so the rescue efforts can begin in earnest. Rex stands his ground as long as he can, studying the schematics he'd managed to pull up, directing brothers towards dorms and workrooms to find workers and begin shutting down the machines more permanently, but eventually Cody shows up and ushers him off to medical on-board a ship.

The sedatives mixed in with his pain meds take hold quickly in his malnourished state and he drifts off to Kix's soothing voice and the familiar smell of bacta being smeared over his wounds.

He wakes up to someone shaking him by the shoulder. The effort it takes to open his eyes tells him he didn't sleep long enough for the meds to work their way out of his system.

It's Commander Tano. She's still wearing that ridiculous costume, but she looks worried. He crawls his way up from sleep, anxious that he and the General missed something. That some defense mechanism wasn't shut off, that they lost more people-

Ahsoka puts a hand on his, soothing his rising panic.

They are looking for Obi-Wan, she explains, and asks where Rex had seen him last.

"He left here to meet up at the landing bay. Did he not make it there?" Rex starts to sit up but Ahsoka pushes him back. 

"We might have just missed him. Or he might have gotten side tracked helping others. Stay here, and hopefully we can bring Master Kenobi in soon to join you." 

"You'll have to tie him down," Rex jokes as he feels sleep pulling at him once again. He dozes in and out consciousness, only half aware of Kix checking on him, or other brother's grabbing more supplies. 

Word comes back. There's no sign of General Kenobi. 

Rex fights his way back to alertness at that. He asks Kix to remove his IV, and after a short stare, he sighs and moves to disconnect Rex so he can go and join the search. He knew he shouldn't have let the General go off alone. He was supposed to protect him!

Rex passes by troops on his walk, his brothers fanning out in what better be grid search patterns to search and clear the base. The passages and tunnels of the base will make searching more difficult, as will the remaining slavers hiding out, but Rex knows to trust in the men. There is an air of calm around their searching that makes Rex think he's missed most of the cleanup.  
  


General Skywalker however, is getting more agitated by the second. He's pacing the hanger bay, where their search parties had apparently met back up to cross check a map of the base. His eyes are closed as he tries to find General Kenobi through the Force.

He lets out a growl of frustration.

"I can feel him there, but it's like he's just out of reach. Hidden, behind a dark curtain. No matter how hard I try."

"Could one of the slavers re-captured him and taken him off base?" Ahsoka asks. Someone has found her a cloak to wear and she has it wrapped around her shoulders. It makes her look younger than normal.

Rex remembers the sound of Obi-Wan snapping necks with a twist of his hand and moves to stand beside her, and slowly shakes his head. The General may have been injured but even hurt and exhausted as he was…they didn't get close to him.

Plo Koon has a long three fingered hand drawn up to his mask in thought.

He slowly turns to Rex and asks him exactly what Obi Wan's last words were. Rex relates them, and then the strange order for him to tell the truth when asked.

"Could he have been under some compulsion to go somewhere?" Anakin asks. "You mentioned that Dooku contacted the base before we did."

Plo Koon hums. "It sounds like there is information we are missing here." He pulls forward a nearby crate and gestures for Rex to have a seat, heedful of his injuries. "Did you notice anything unusual about Master Kenobi after Dooku made contact?

Rex has a sinking feeling in his chest. He'd seen Dooku as well, and even though the man hadn't seen fit to address a mere clone, he'd still been there, still watched long enough for some Force magic to take hold…but maybe it was something that only effected Force users. He didn't know if that would be better or worse, if he had some secret command waiting inside him, forcing him to act.

"I didn't notice anything while listening to Dooku talk. He seemed his usual self, gloating and trying to provoke a reaction." He paused. "He did seem surprised at the General's reaction to the taunting…he was angry."

"It takes a lot to get Master Obi-Wan worked up." Ahsoka noted, but quickly fell silent again.

"Before that though," Rex continued slowly, "there was something strange. The General's eyes. After we'd reached the main office…" he shook his head. "I thought it might be a trick of the light at first, but, his eyes Sirs, they were burning a kind of yellow. I didn't get a good look for long though. Maybe it was just the smoke getting to me." He said the last bit lightly in an attempt to fight the dread rising in him.

No one laughed, or waved aside his observation as ridiculous though.

Anakin's face had drained of color. He looks as if he'd been gut punched. Plo Koon was sinking slowly down onto another nearby crate, his mask down-turned, grief radiating out from his stance. Ahsoka looked between two with wide disbelieving eyes. "No…" she said. "Not Master Kenobi. He wouldn't."

The chatter around the map died down, brothers recognizing something was wrong. The silence felt thicker than the smoke Rex had spent week after week breathing in. He didn't understand. What did it mean?

"Did…did they do something to him sirs? I never noticed anything until then. They needled him, sure, but I don't remember him being taken away separate like." He's rambling now. Filling the silence. Wishing for one of them to stop him, to set him right. 

Plo's mask raises back up.

"It was not something they did," he says, all cryptic like. "It was nothing you did." He pauses, and the next sentence feels forced. An admission not easily given. "Even the best among us may Fall from the Light."

"NO!" Anakin shouts, bringing his fist down against the nearest crate. “Obi-Wan wouldn't! He's the Lightest person I know." 

“We are all pushed to our limits in this War,” Plo Koon says, “we cannot know where our limits are until we hit them. Obi-Wan and Captain Rex were...in a difficult position here.”

“No. Obi-Wan knows we would come for him! I wouldn’t leave him here! He knows that!” Grief tinges Anakin’s anger and denial. 

Rex stares between them, a sinking feeling in his gut. He isn’t knowledgeable about the Force but they way the Generals are talking ...it doesn’t sound good. He remembers the thought he'd had just hours ago, even the strongest of man could reach their limit in a place like this. 

Plo Koon stands and moves to lay one clawed hand on Anakin’s shoulder. 

“Do not lose hope yet, young Skywalker. Your Master is strong. He would not easily surrender to the Dark. We will continue searching, but we must now consider the possibility that he has fled this place. Whatever the reason, we must find him.”

Ahsoka jumped up, “I can help slice into the security vids.”

Plo nods. “A good idea. Copy all data from the past day to take back to the Temple.”

* * *

It doesn’t take long for Ahsoka to return. She’s following two troopers, one of whom has something in a raised hand. 

“Sir!” He calls across the hanger bay. “Sirs we found something!” The two men come running across the hanger, voices overlapping with Ahsoka’s call of “Masters! We found something!”

Anakin rushes to meet them and takes the object. It’s a sort of data storage device. 

“We didn’t even make it to the security vid room,” Ahsoka explains. “One of the captured Togrutas stopped a trooper and gave him this, and he found me and we came running. She said it was from the Jedi.”

“That has to be the General,” Rex says. “He must have made a detour after he left our position.”

Anakin spins and before he can call out, R2D2 comes rolling up beside him. Anakin drops the data stick into the holoprojector and waits. After a long minute, a fuzzy image appears. A man’s arms in frame, moving and adjusting something out of frame. After a moment he pulls back, and the filthy figure of Obi-Wan comes into focus. 

Ahsoka gasps, unprepared for how the man looks, even after seeing the others trapped here. Rex knows it’s a far cry from the normally put together Negotiator. 

“This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. I’ve left this message behind, not to excuse my actions but to perhaps explain them.”

Rex studies the General as he speaks, he stands with his arms folded in the torn and dirty sleeves of his tunic, as if he’s giving a mission report. But his posture is different, not as stiff, as he’s feeling bruises maybe, and his head stays tilted downward, his hair falling over his eyes. Though his voice sounds stronger than it did before their escape. 

He avoids looking directly into the camera while he talks. 

“The queen here was wrong about many things, but she was not wrong about the Jedi. We _have_ fallen from our purpose. We are no longer seen as defenders of the Republic. Jedi are seen with _fear_ or _revulsion_ , Masters, and I cannot stand by any longer. I can end this War. Then we can heal, and begin to once more find our original purpose. Something besides generals in this ongoing War."

Plo Koon moves to lay a hand on Anakin’s shoulder. He’s standing still as a statue and Rex can see his left hand shaking before he tightens it into a fist.

"I will confront Dooku, and take out the head of the Separatist leadership. I will complete this last mission Masters," he says, before finally raising yellow eyes to the camera.  
It's as if he's staring out into their souls. Rex hears Ahsoka's gasp and the broken , choked off noise from Skywalker. 

"I have made my choice. I will turn myself over to the Jedi Council once my task is complete. Just stay out of my way Masters, and I will do what needs be done to end this war."

He reaches to disconnect but pauses, eyes glancing back up and out, to add. "And Anakin…I'm sorry."

The message ends there, the holo blinking out, leaving only the linger sense of despair behind.


End file.
